


Holding the Light(Clone Wars)

by KemeticEngineer



Series: The Light(Star Wars!!) [1]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, I like to hurt Larissa, Not saying who mystery relationship is unti ready, Trials, dont ask
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-05-31 23:47:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6492631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KemeticEngineer/pseuds/KemeticEngineer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Obi-Wan Kenobi and Kit Fisto are sent to save the young padawan.</p>
          </blockquote>





	1. "I'm Never Getting Off This Planet."

**Smoke was filling her nose, making her head spin in confusion. The sound of an engines boosters taking off caused her to open her eyes. A galactic cruiser was taking off. She was being left. The smell of smoke intensified and all she remembered was fear...........and the pain that jolted her awake.**  
  
        Larissa shot up in her bed to see the sun had not yet risen on  Coruscant. The tiny girl rose from her bed and walked up to the glass of her window, where her reflection was barely visible. She was a small girl of the age of 12. Her bright blue hair contrasted with her violet eyes and pale skin; but not as much as the pink scars that ran down her back and sides, showing the bearing of a tragic past. Larissa pulled on her training clothes and walked out of her room in the temple. She walked the dark halls for a while before a voice called to her, "Late it is to be walking about, my padawan."  
         
        Larissa turned around and bowed to her master. “My memories are keeping me awake.” She said.

**Yoda closed his eyes in thought and the girl patiently waited for his answer. “Come with me you must. Alone you should not be.”**

**Larissa followed quietly as her master led her towards the control center in the temple. They walked in and Yoda went to talk with Master Windu, who was staring at the screens. She tuned out their conversation and fiddled with her lightsaber until she heard a familiar voice behind her, “Ad what is a young padawan doing up at such a time?”**

**Master Kit Fisto had walked into the room with his padawan, Nahdar, in tow. “Memories.” Larissa murmured.**

**Fisto’s gaze offered sympathy while Nahdar’s was of confusion. “What memories?” He asked bluntly.**

**She rolled her eyes slightly before responding, “None of your business.”**

**“I’m older than you, don’t be so rude!”**

**“Nahdar, control your emotions!” Master Fisto interjected.**

**She had expected Nahdar’s reaction and ignored him, turning back to Fisto. “No I’m sorry, I was being rude.” She apologized.**

**Deep down, Larissa disliked Nahdar because of how arrogant he was all the time. “Master Yoda, maybe your padawan could train with mine; seeing as they are both awake.” Fisto called out.**

**Yoda looked at the padawan, Nahdar was somewhat hopeful while Larissa looked distressed. In hoping to teach his padawan a lesson in understanding and maybe just a small bit of humility, Yoda said, “Good idea, that is. Oversee them, you will?”**

**“Of course.” Fisto grinned.**

**Master Fisto led them out of the room and towards the large training room. “You and Larissa should start with sparring.” He said.**

**Larissa made a face, clearly showing she would rather not, causing Master Fisto to laugh. “With lightsabers.” He said, seeing Nahdar put down his.**

**“Yes Master.” The padawans say in unison.**

**Larissa took out her lightsaber and turned it on to reveal and green like that glowed on her skin. She stepped into the square, watching as Nahdar did the same to emit a blue light, and they began to spar. Based on his actions, she could tell he was going to attack her head on right off the bat.He did so about a second later. As he charged at her, she noticed his lightsaber was low and did a flip over his head, landing behind him. When he turned around, Larissa jumped back to avoid his lightsaber. She kept up this dance every time he came closer so she could study his movements: he was careless and sloppy in his footwork, yet his moves were advanced and clearly resembled Master Fisto’s own fighting style. Not that Master Fisto was sloppy in fighting, he was exactly the opposite. With every evasive maneuver she made, Nahdar became even more frustrated until he eventually hissed, “Why don’t you fight back?”**

**So he wanted her to attack? He got what he wanted, just not in the way he wanted it. Next time he came closer, Larissa stepped forward and met his lightsaber with her own. He ducked to make a sweep at her legs and she jumped before kicking the lightsaber out of his hands, sending it across the floor. As she landed, she pointed her lightsaber at his chest, winning the match. Nahdar opened his mouth to say something, probably something rude, but closed it and nodded to her before using the Force to bring his lightsaber back to himself. Larissa narrowed her eyes, Master Yoda had taught her to only use the Force when absolutely necessary. She used the Force to grab his lightsaber out of his hand. “Hey! Give that back!” Nahdar protested.**

**“Try and get it back without using the Force!” She said bluntly.**

**From behind her, she heard Master Fisto let out a slight laugh. Good to know this was amusing him. For Larissa, being anywhere near Nahdar for too long left her with a massive headache just because of the aura he gives off. She tossed both lightsabers to Master Fisto, since this was hand-to-hand combat, Larissa did not expect to last long. He is three years older than her and she wasn’t that strong, but she hoped Nahdar wasn’t either. When he lunged at her, she barely dodged a punch by stepping back but he knocked her feet out from under her, causing her to fall. She managed to kick him back before he could get past her and jumped up before flashing Nahdar a smile as she realized neither had gained any ground. This time he jukes her out and manages to land a stinging blow on her face, sending her down. So much for hoping. She got up holding her cheek to seem him about to get his lightsaber. She stood up and ran at him and kicked him, keeping him from grabbing the lightsaber sitting in front of Master Fisto. She jumped into the air and kicked him in the chest, sending him backwards. When she fell to the floor, she tucked and rolled, just as Master Yoda had shown her, so she could take the force off of her fall. As she stood back up, a blue lightsaber glowed in front of her, and she closed her eyes in defeat. Larissa nodded up at Nahdar, accepting his success. Master Fisto tossed the young girl her lightsaber and she turned it on to begin sparring again with Nahdar. “No, it’s time for you two to work as a team.” Fisto said.**

**She looked at him in confusion to see him turning on his lightsaber, and then she understood: he wanted them to work as a team to defeat him. But he is a master! How were two padawan’s supposed to beat him? Larissa shook her head, they had to try and give it their all. She shot a look at Nahdar and he nodded to her, they didn’t have a plan, but they were going to wing it. They began circling Master Fisto and she noticed he was paying more attention to her and not to Nahdar, like she was a bigger threat than him. He was learning her moves as if waiting for an opportunity where she was vulnerable. Maybe he would have an opportunity, then again maybe not. If Larissa was going to be watched, then she was going to fake her antics. She switched directions, causing Fisto’s steps to stutter slightly. “That’s an unfair strategy, Larissa.” He laughed lightly.**

**“Well, you are a master, you can handle it.” She shrugged.**

**She cast a glance at Nahdar to see he was about to attack. She broke the circle by ducking under Fisto’s lightsaber and running next to Nahdar. No sooner did she do this than Nahdar charged at Master Fisto, who was still recovering from the facing change. Even so, Fisto easily met Nahdar’s lightsaber with his own before knocking Nahdar off of his feet and eliminating him. So now it was just Larissa and Master Fisto. She attacked him and, as expected, he easily blocked her and their lightsabers met. He tried to knock her off her feet but she jumped and did a front flip over him. When she landed, she kicked the back of his leg and he barely caught himself before he fell. Larissa spun away, but unfortunately, he was able to kick her feet out from under her. As she fell she turned and placed her lightsaber in front of her to deflect anything he could do. Their lightsabers met again and she smiled up at Fisto, who gladly returned the smile. She kicked his leg and rolled to the side as he fell, feeling happy to at least have him taken him down. However, her feelings were short lived as she got up too slowly and Master Fisto had time to point his lightsaber at her neck, winning. Larissa bowed her head in respect and jumped when a voice called out to her, “Improving you are, my padawan.”**

**She turned around and saw Nahdar was now joined by Master Yoda and Master Windu. “Thank you, Master.” She said.**

**Master Yoda motioned for her to follow him and Master Windu. Larissa waved goodbye to Master Fisto and Nahdar and she followed the Masters out of the room. “May I ask where we are going?” She asked them as they walked through the halls.**

**Master Windu looked down at the small girl, “There has been a……..situation on a nearby planet. Master Yoda and I are heading there in attempt to form a coalition. Obi-Wan is to look after you until we return.”**

**She groaned and looked at the Masters with wide eyes. “Aww, why can’t I go, Master?” She protested.**

**“Too young you are, to be, involved in diplomacy, Larissa.” Yoda murmured, staring up at the blue haired girl.**

**They stepped outside and onto the launch pad, where it was pouring. Several clones were waiting by a ship. Master Yoda and Master Windu walked towards the ship and climbed on, waving as they began to ascend. She was barely able to wave back before they disappeared into the Coruscanti sunrise. When they were gone, she let out a heavy sigh, wishing she could travel beyond the planet. The doors from the temple opened once more to let Master Fisto and Nahdar out onto the launch pad. “Left again?” Nahdar whispered, careful not to let Fisto hear him.**

**She didn’t want to call it that, but she had to, that’s exactly what it was. “Yeah.” She breathed, “I’m never getting off this planet.”**

**It was meant to be a whisper, but Fisto heard her and cast a sideways glance at the girl. “Do not despair, young one. Your age and size give you a look of frailty which can make you an easy target. Especially since you are Master Yoda’s padawan.”**

**“That’s everyone’s answer.” Larissa huffed before walking out, barely hearing the Master’s exasperated sigh as the doors shut.**

**She walked over to the communications center and went inside to see Obi-Wan and Anakin having a very heated argument about something. As she got closer, there conversation became a lot more audible, “.....no I got us out of that mess!” Anakin said.**

**Larissa rolled her eyes and began backing out of the room. She was stopped when she ran into something. Turning around, she saw she had backed into Master Plo Koon. She silently begged him with her eyes to not say anything so she could slip out. He chuckled lightly but nodded and they walked out of the room. “Thank you, Master, that was one conversation I would rather not have been apart of.” She breathed.**

**“I’d have to agree youngling.” Plo Koon said.**

**They cast a glance back at the shut room as the volume rose. “We’ll let them sort this one out, they'll be fine later.” Koon said.**

**“Obi-Wan is supposed to be training me while Master Yoda is gone, though.” She whined.**

**“You could go back to sparring with Nahdar.” He suggested.**

**“No! I mean no, I’ll go see if R3 needs cleaning or something.” Larissa said, rushing off in search of the droid.**

**R3 was one of the astromech droids that the Republic used, and he was by far her favorite. Not that she was attached or anything, he was just…..her only friend in a way. Ignoring the fact that he was programmed to, he was really the only one who cared about her opinions. She walked into the hanger to see R3 being pulled out of his pilots fighter, looking very beat up. “What happened?” She asked Rango, the pilot.**

**“Just more separatists.” He responded.**

**She moved over to R3 and brought him over to a metal table that had some tools on it. Larissa grabbed a rag and cleaned him while he repaired himself. “So...R3, what really happened up there?” She asked after a while.**

**Some beeps later, “An ambush? But how?” Larissa asked him.**

**“No I realize they must have known, but who would betray us?”**

**“You think it was a clone? But they are programmed how can that be?”**

**Larissa paused when he responded. “A defective one, you think? There would be no way to test this though, and the council never listens to me.”**

**Larissa said the last word with some sadness; it was true. “Rango!” She called.**

**The pilot immediately walked over to her, “Yes, what is it?”**

**“May I take R3 with me to the archive?”**

**“I don't see why not, just don't be gone too long, I’m still on watch.”**

**“I won't.” Larissa called over her shoulder as she and R3 headed out of the hanger.**

**When they reached the archives, R3 led the way to the modules. Larissa sat down at one of the consoles while R3 plugged himself into it. R3 beeped at her and she stared at the screen. This might not be a good idea…..she was only a padawan after all. She shook her head and looked at R3, she had to do this. Everyone was, to a degree, busy. “We should start with the outgoing and incoming transmissions.”**

**The log appeared on the screen, everything was normal except for three outgoing messages that had come from, “Courin’s quarters?”**

**Courin was Rango’s best friend and fellow pilot. The transmissions were to a location far in the Outer Rim. “Courin’s the traitor?” She whispered.**

**Larissa let out a gasp as hands slip around her mouth and a blaster was pressed to her head. She fumbled around for her lightsaber only to hear the person speak, “Looking for this?”**

**Courin turned her around to face him, his hand still over her mouth and the gun still to her head. Only now she could see her lightsaber was on his utility belt. To her left, she could see R3 was off, slightly smoking. “What did you do to R3?!” She tried to yell through his hand.**

**A wicked smile appeared on his face and he used his blaster to hit her hard across the face before pulling her up and dragging her out of the archives. “You would do well to do as I say, whelp.”**

**Larissa’s heart dropped at his words as he began pushing her into the hanger. Once inside the hangar, which was now empty save for a few droids, he led her to a ship in the far back before throwing her into the back part of the ship and leaving to start up the ship. When he came back to check on her as the ship was starting up, she tried to attack him, but he simply threw her back before locking the door and leaving. She fumbled through her robes for anything that could help when her hand closed around something metal: her commlink. She turned it on and hit the transmission. “Hello, is there anybody there?” She whispered.**

**She let out a sigh of relief as Master Obi-Wan’s voice came over the link. “Larissa, what is it?”**

**“Courin is the traitor! He did something to R3 and he has taken me on his ship!”**

**“What! Larissa hold on we’ll be there as soon as we can!”**

**“Please hurry, the ship is about to ta-” she was cut off mid sentence when Courin took the commlink and smashed it against the wall. He raced to the cockpit and got ready to take off just as Obi-Wan and Anakin ran into the hangar.Larissa kicked, punched, and ran at the door, but to no avail; she wasn’t getting out. Before the Jedi could reach the ship, they took off, going into the sky. Larissa placed one hand on the window and looked at Coruscant one last time before the ship was put into hyperspace. “I’m sorry, Master.” She said.**

**“Oh you’re going to be sorry alright.” Courin said, coming up behind her.**

**She looked up at him only to be slapped and fall to the ground. He began kicking her over and over, but he wasn’t getting no more than a wince from her. At least that was her resolve until he kicked her and she felt a jarring pain mixed with a snapping sound. Based off the sound, she knew he had broken a few bones. Tears ran down her face. Eventually he stopped, having satisfaction at her tears, and she curled into a ball despite the pain. She had wanted to leave the planet, but not like this; not for this.**


	2. "We Can't Let Them Take Her!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan Kenobi and Kit Fisto are sent to save the young padawan.

Obi-Wan watched as Anakin paced across the floor, clearly disturbed. “What would that traitor want with her?” He asked.

For that, Obi-Wan had no answer; it really made no sense to him. Larissa was just a child, of no real harm to anyone. Maybe it was because she was Master Yoda’s padawan……. “We need to contact Master Yoda, Obi-Wan; before they get too far!” Anakin said.

Obi-Wan sighed at his old padawan, “Master Fisto is already doing that. Now-”

He was cut off when Master Fisto’s voice came over his commlink. “Master Yoda says a tracking beacon was placed into Larissa’s commlink when it was created.”

Obi-wan jumped up from where he was sitting and ran to the communications center, Anakin following him. The doors opened to reveal the Nautolan standing in front of a screen that had Master Yoda on it. “My padawan, we cannot return so you must find.”

“Yes, Master Yoda.” They said in unison.

The screen went black and Obi-Wan turned to Anakin, “Assemble a squad of clones and ready a ship.” He ordered.

“Yes, Obi-Wan.” Anakin said before rushing off.

“Nahdar, you are to meet Anakin at the launch pad. Obi-Wan and I will join you soon.” Master Fisto spoke through his commlink.

Obi-Wan could not hear the padawan’s response, but he was sure it was somewhere along the lines of an acknowledgement. A beeping greeted his ears and he turned to see R2 enter the room. His commlink lit up and Anakin’s voice came through saying, “Obi-Wan, I have sent R2 to get the signal so we don’t have to use one of your low-maintenance droids.”

Obi-Wan let out a frustrated sigh. Did Anakin have to compare R2 to every droid in existence? He let R2 connect to the module and grab the signal before the Masters and the droid left the room and went to the hanger. Anakin and Nahdar were waiting with a squad of clones. They climbed onto the waiting ship and made off, heading for the Outer Rim.

 

As they came out of hyperspace, Obi-Wan noticed they were in pirate territory. Where is Courin taking Larissa? They landed on the planet where the beacon was, careful to stay out of sight of the cities. “We have to be quick and quiet. We don’t know what his plan for Larissa is yet.” Obi-Wan said.

A shouting noise caused them to turn to a nearby field. Two pirates were arguing about something. As the argument turned into a full out fight, Obi-Wan realized the pirates were the worst of their worries, hopefully making the mission significantly easier. That was when he heard the sound of thrusters flying ahead. The party looks up to see a separatist flyer approaching the city. The mission may have gotten significantly harder.

 

 

Kit Fisto quietly approached the back entrance to one of the bars with Nahdar not too far behind. Obi-Wan and Anakin had taken the side entrance of another one. Just as they were about to go through, a pirate stepped out the door and stared at them. They quickly pulled out their lightsabers. “Where are the prisoners kept?” Fisto asked.

The pirate eyed their lightsabers before replying. “Two buildings east of here. You can’t miss it.” He ran off before the Jedi could reply.

“Master we need to act quickly, he might have gone to tell someone.” Nahdar whispered as they headed to the building.

Fisto made to answer him, but what he saw took his voice away: a tall building covered in chains with sentries on top. Some prisoners had their arms out of their windows, as though begging someone to help. Nahdar, however, seemed unfazed as he kept advancing towards the building. Fisto barely pulled him into the shadows as one of the sentries turned their way. “Nahdar, watch your surroundings. We must wait for the cover of darkness. Hopefully, Obi-Wan and Anakin will deal with the separatists.” Master Fisto scolded.

Nahdar barely nodded and they stayed where they were as the red sun began to set. Just as the sun went behind the horizon, they ran to the side of the building underneath a sentry. Just as they rounded the corner, they saw Ventress and two battle droids enter the prison. “We can’t let them take her!” Nahdar hissed.

Fisto turned and faced his padawan. “They won’t leave this planet with her, Nahdar. We will just have to reach her first.” He whispered.

Fisto turned on his commlink and contacted Obi-Wan. “Obi-Wan, we have located the prison, but the separatists are here as well.”

“We’ll be there in a moment.” Obi-Wan’s voice sounded strained, as though he was fighting.

Fisto shook his head slightly before beckoning Nahdar to follow him into the prison. The sounds of screaming greeted them as they entered it. Though, thankfully, none were Larissa’s. The farther they walked, they began to realize that if they didn’t find her and leave quickly, they might never get out. Just as soon as despair began to settle in them, they heard Ventress’ voice, “She’ll be the perfect gift for my Master. I’m honestly surprised the Jedi did not give much of a fight. Guess you really are not that important are you, Larissa?”

The sound of the sith’s laugh sent chills through the Jedi and they heard Larissa’s voice, although it was too low to hear the words. Fisto grimaced as they heard the sound of someone being punched. “Umm, didn’t the Count say the Jedi had to be unharmed?” One battle droid asked.

Fisto’s heart dropped at Ventress’ response. “She was like this when we arrived. It’s not MY fault that pilot nearly killed her.” Again, she laughed.

Her voice sounded a lot closer and they realized that the separatists were walking out. “Let’s go pay the wretch so we can get off this rock.” Ventress said as they walked past, unable to see Fisto and Nahdar hiding in an open cage.

With the sith gone, the two advanced towards the large cage. Inside, was an unconscious Larissa, chained up to the wall. Her body was bruised all over and she had her left arm and leg at a painful looking angle, convincing Master Fisto a few of her bones were broken. Her lip and cheek were bleeding and the scars on her sides were visible. Feeling disgust flow through him, Fisto took his lightsaber and sliced open the cage, forcing Nahdar to have to catch the pieces before they hit the ground. Nahdar sliced the chains and Fisto caught Larissa as she fell before taking off his cloak and placing it over her abused body. There were no signs of trauma to her head besides the cuts, leading him to assume that she had passed out from pain. He carried her out of the cage to be greeted by a lightsaber. “Oh it’s just you Master Fisto.” Anakin’s voice brought a wave of relief over the Nautolan.

“Have you found them?” Fisto heard Obi-Wan’s voice over Anakin’s commlink.

“Yeah, I found them.” Anakin grinned.

“Well then we need to leave.”

“Got it.”

Anakin led the Master and padawan out of the prison and, avoiding the sentries, made their way over to the ship where a few of the clones were guarding it. They were only a few lengths away from it when a voice called to them, “Where do you think you are going with my prize, Kit Fisto?”

He merely glanced back at Ventress as they ran through the brush towards the ship. Fisto heard the crackle of a lightsaber and gently placed Larissa down before grabbing his own and facing the sith. “I hope you don’t think you can actually defeat me, Ventress?” He taunted.

Ventress narrowed her eyes at him, “I am not alone.” She said as the battle droids came up behind her.

They pointed their blasters at the Jedi. “Neither is he.” The sith turned around to see Obi-Wan running up with the clones.

Ventress growled and, knowing she’d been defeated, fled with the battle droids. Fisto ran back to Larissa and picked her up again, her limp body weighing almost nothing. “Should we give chase?” He heard Anakin ask.

“No, we have bigger problems then some untrained sith. Master Fisto, how is she?” Obi-Wan called.

Fisto turned to the two Jedi and cast a glance down at the now perilously pale padawan who was still unconscious. “She’s very pale, as if from blood loss, but she has lost very little.” He replied.

They ran to the ship before he placed Larissa down on the platform. “I wish we had a medical with us. We don’t know what’s wrong with her!” Anakin despaired.

“That’s why we need to reach Coruscant as quickly as possible.” Obi-Wan said.

Fisto made to remove the cloak when he realized it was coated in blood. He quickly pulled it off to see a new cut was open on her abdomen. It seems like it was previously stitched up, leading him to assume it had opened when they had gotten her out of the president. “She is bleeding.” Nahdar murmured.

Fisto nodded his head grimly. She might not have till Coruscant. “We’ll need to hurry.” He said.

“Do any of the clones know any medical procedures?” Anakin asked.

The commander walked over to them and observed Larissa. “We’ll try.”

The clone grabbed the med-kit and opened it. “There’s clotting powder, but nothing to close up that wound. You’ll have to wait for arrival at base for that.”

The masters nodded and focused on Larissa while the padawan’s faced the opening of the ship and stared out it. Fisto turned and faced Obi-Wan. “What happened to Courin?”

“Dead, Ventress killed him.” Obi-Wan said it like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

Despite the implied brutality of the pilot’s death, Fisto could not find it in him to care about it. His death was probably not as painful as the state Larissa was in. Speaking of Larissa, he sensed her stirring and turned back to face the clones. They were cleaning out her cuts and placing the clotting powder over them when she opened her eyes. The haziness in her eyes led Fisto to assume she was still out of it, even though she was clearly conscious.

 

 

Larissa opened her eyes to feel pain radiating over her entire body. The pain was almost blinding her, yet she could still see despite the fact that everything was slipping from her. There were clones above her, placing something powdery onto her cuts. She wanted to move her head to see who else was there, but at the same time she didn’t want to. She watched as they slowly got to the large gash on her abdomen. I thought that had been stitched up, she thought. Her muscles tightened and tensed up as they began cleaning the wound. It wasn’t long before she felt the pain numb down and something soft was placed over the gash. She was about to let out a sigh of relief, but what she heard made her blood run cold. “We’ll need to set those bones back before they cause too much damage to her muscle and tissue.” The commander said, his voice sounding distant and far away.

Uh-oh. “How many?”

That was Obi-Wan’s voice! “It’s hard to say, but at least four.” The clone responded.

“What’s a max?” She heard Anakin ask.

“Maybe six or seven.”

“What happened?” She asked.

At first she thought that her voice had been way too low for anyone to hear, but after a moment of the clones and Obi-Wan talking, she heard someone walk over.

 

 

Master Fisto knelt next to Larissa. “Larissa, you are going to have to relax and breathe evenly for this next part.” He said.

“Wait she’s awake?” Everyone said at once.

Fisto shot a smile at them. “Did you not hear her?” He asked.

Obi-Wan stepped forward. “What did she say?” He asked.

“I said what happened?” She winced as her talking hurt her bruised ribs.

“Hush, young one, save your strength.” Fisto said.

He shared a worried glance with Obi-Wan and the Commander, who had now taken off his helmet to see the wounds better. They were going to have to set all those bones and they had nothing to numb the pain with. Obi-Wan beckoned them over away from the injured girl. “Can we wait until we get to Coruscant, Commander?” Obi-Wan whispered.

“I’m afraid not, sir. It would affect how her muscles work. Every minute we delay this, she gets closer to permanent muscle injuries. I’ve seen this happen before.” The clone replied.

Fisto shot a look back at the girl, Nahdar and Anakin were watching over her. “Is there anyway to render her unconscious for the procedure?” He asked the Commander.

The clone shook his head, “No, not unless you mean physically, but that would cause trauma to her head. It could even give her a concussion. After long, she should pass out from pain.”

“That is little comfort.” Obi-Wan said.

They said nothing else and headed back to Larissa. Obi-Wan and Fisto knelt next to her. “They are going to have to set those bones back, Larissa, before they cause permanent damage.” Obi-Wan said.

As expected, Anakin and Nahdar protested. “She is still awake!” They exclaimed.

They kept protesting and arguing until eventually Larissa shouted, or tried to, “Enough! Please just get on with it!” She cried.

Fisto cast a glance at the girl, her face was still incredibly pale. He nodded and faced the padawan’s. “Hold down her good leg so she doesn’t move too much.” He ordered.

Obi-Wan moved over to Larissa’s good arm. “I’ll hold down her arm.” He stated.

Fisto nodded once and placed his index fingers on her temples and his ring fingers on the point where her jaw ends. His palms almost cradled her head and he looked into her starry eyes. The Commander placed his hands on her her ankle. “Ready?” Fisto asked her.

He watched as she took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay, just keep your eyes on me, you’ll be fine.” He said.

He heard the commander start counting and tightened his grip on her head. As the bone was set back, Fisto stared into Larissa’s deep violet eyes. The starry look disappeared and pain began to cloud her eyes. Her whole body was rigid and tense as another bone was about to be set. When it was, she clenched her jaw and looked away from him. “Larissa, focus on me. Don’t think about the pain.” Fisto said as another bone was about to be set. She looked at him with a pained look in her eyes before she closed her eyes. Her knee was set a little roughly, so as soon as the Commander let go, he sensed a long wave of pain roll over the girl and he felt her body go limp. She had passed out from pain. Fisto looked up and shared a look with Obi-Wan, it had taken three bones for her to pass out from pain. Most Republic men they knew, besides from the clones, would pass out after the second one without amnesia. He let go of his tight grip on her head and instead, let his hands hold her head so it was level with her body. At least she wouldn’t have to face all seven bones.

It was over before long and she was still unconscious, her breathing rigid and strangled. Fisto and Obi-Wan were leaning against the walls as they made their way through hyperspace. “She’s strong.” Obi-Wan commented.

“Very.” He replied as they watched the injured girl.

Anakin and Nahdar had been sent to the back so they would not disturb her. “She is young to have gone through something like this.” Fisto continued.

“It seems she’s had many hardships in her life, but she is strong because of them.” Obi-Wan stated.

“Yes, but how will these affect her when she is a Knight?”

“Well, I’m no expert, but I’m fairly sure the dark side does not call to her.”

“I did not say that…”

“No but you implied it.”

Fisto shot his fellow Master a look. “I meant I wonder how it would affect her ability to empathize and feel. Traumatic experiences don’t just go away.”

“No, they leave scars as reminders.”

“But what these scars will do to her is what I want to know.”

“Time will tell us what we seek.”

Fisto turned his gaze back to Larissa. Nothing good comes from pain.


	3. "Remember Who You Are, Why You Are Here, It Will Help."

Larissa woke to bright lights and droids. She was on a medical table she assumed was in the med-bay. She tried to sit up but something stopped her. Or someone. "Rest you should my padawan." Yoda said.  
"Master!" Larissa tried to say but her throat was sore and her voice was almost non-existent.  
"Be here when you wake I will.Talk then, we will."  
She nodded and laid back down, gradually falling asleep.  
She was glad he told her to go back to sleep. Larissa felt much better when she woke up. Yoda walked over to her and placed one hand on the girl's forehead and nodded to himself. "Healed you, they have."  
She sat up to discover she was able to move her arm and leg without too much pain. Larissa beamed up at her master until something crossed her mind. "Master, aren't you supposed to be away?"  
"Finished diplomacy we have. Four days you've been asleep."  
She caught her breath. Four days? No wonder they had been able to quickly heal her bones. Larissa looked down at her abdomen to see the gash had been stitched and was now starting to heal. "Can I get it of the med bay yet?" She asked.  
"Hmmm, yes, but for training ready you are not." Yoda said.  
That was fine with her, she wasn't sure her body could take too much movement as it is. Larissa climbed off the table and walked out of the room with Master Yoda. "So, Master. How did your mission go?"  
He shook his head. "Waste of time, it was."  
"I'm sorry about that master." She said with a glance at Yoda.  
They entered the control center to see Master Obi-wan, Anakin, Master Fisto, and Nahdar. Upon seeing her they began smiling. "And to think you had seven broken bones only four days ago." Anakin said.  
Larissa took that as a compliment since she was up and walking. "Thank you for rescuing me." She said to all of them.  
"How are you feeling?" Master Fisto asked.  
Larissa noted there was something cautious about his words. "I'm doing fine because of what you guys did."  
She sensed relief flood over him but decided not to pursue the topic. "I trust you have learned a lesson about doing dangerous things on your own?" Obi-wan asked.  
She looked down at her feet before answering. "I just wanted to help."  
"Found the traitor, you did." Yoda said.  
"Be that as it may, you nearly died because of it." Fisto said.  
Larissa looked between them, unsure of how to respond to that. "I....I know I should have found one of you, but I didn't want to be wrong and be a bother." She hung her head in shame.  
"Bother you are not, my padawan. Decisions you make, bad they are." Yoda said.  
Larissa's heart rose slightly. Before she could say anything, however, Obi-Wan handed her something. She looked up to see her light saber being held in front of her. Larissa looked up at Obi-Wan before hesitantly taking her lightsaber into her own hands. "Yet you can handle these decisions, I believe." Obi-Wan smiled.  
She looked down before returning the smile. Sure she had some things to work on, but at least she had her Masters to help her. With that taken care of, everyone dispersed to take care of their responsibilities. Larissa was about to leave for the hanger, when a hand grabbed her arm. She turned around to see Master Fisto. He picked something up and attached it to the cuff on her right arm. "Seeing as your other one was destroyed, we had a new one made for you." He smiled after he was done.

Larissa looked down at her pale arm to see a familiar green light. She smiled at the Master before thanking him. Fisto nodded before he walked over to where the other masters were. She headed to the door and quickly cast a glance back to see if anyone was going to stop her, however, none did so she slipped out and headed to the hanger. Larissa walked into the room to see the pilots preparing for flight and she ran over to Rango’s orange and white steel fighter, wincing the whole way due to her leg. Needless to say, the human was surprised to see her. He quickly got over his shock and got down from his fighter. “How you holding up sport?” He asks.

Larissa crosses her arms, hiding the cut, and flashes him a smile. “I’ve been better, you have to head back out?” She asks, concerned.

He scratches his head and looks back at the fighter. “Not exactly. We’re being moved to a new location. Council says this hanger is to close to the Jedi Temple. Sorry kid.” He says, sadly.

“But that wasn’t your fault!”

“Larissa, one of our own turned on the Republic, we can’t et that happen again. It was our choice.”

Larissa looked down. She had caused this. This was HER fault. If she had found one of the Masters, none of this would have happened!” I’m sorry.”

Rango pat the girls blue head lightly before heading to his fighter and doing something. “Before I go, there's something I think you should have.” He said.

She raises an eyebrow at the sly tone in his voice. “You recently got your own fighter right?” She heard him ask.

Larissa let a smile reach her face and felt her ears heat up. SHe remembered how proud she had been when she had received her white, purple, and green fighter. She hadn’t used it before because she wasn’t going on any missions yet. “Yes, WHy?”

He didn’t answer immediately, only calling into a transmission, “R3, you’re needed in here.”

He still didn’t answer her as R3 made his way over to them. R3 beeped as he switched his focus on them. “R3, I need to give you your new assignment.”

What? No, he wasn’t was he? R3 beeped in confusion as Rango brought down a tablet. He pressed a few button before shutting it and turning to Larissa. “Because R3 is now your Astromech droid.”

…...she was shocked. All she could say was thank you. Rango laughed at her surprise and patted her head softly before helping a new droid into his fighter. R3 was now her droid. This increased the the sadness of having them leave, but, it was probably for the bes. “Where are you going?” SHe asked.

Rango cast an amused glance back at her. “The other side of the council building.” He laughed.

Oh. It was just down the ‘street’. “See, sport, we won’t be that far.” Rango smiled.

“Rango let’s go!” Another pilot, his captain, yelled at Rango.

“Well see you around Larissa.” Rango smiled.

“May the force be with you.” She replied breathlessly.

He nodded to her and she backed away with R3 so he could fly out.

As his ship left the hanger, Larissa found herself feeling conflicted. Does she really deserve to be a Jedi after this? R3 beeped and backed himself into her, nearly knocking her down. “R3, what happened after you were fixed.

He beeped and explained how upset Master Yoda, Fisto, Obi-Wan had been, and how angry Anakin and Nahdar had been. She felt tears welling up, but quickly pushed them down as she felt someone approaching them. It was her master. The small, green Jedi walked over to them, holding something shiny in his hands. “Wear this, you should. Remember who you are, why you here, it will help.”

In his hands was the beads she had been given by her parents to signify she was Lorian. At least that's what the Jedi thought it meant. She knelt slightly and he placed it on her head, the purple crystal bead cold against her skin. She murmured her thanks to him before he walked off into the temple. She adjusted it slightly before looking at her reflection in the glass. It definitely made her remember why she had chosen to become a Jedi and it made her realize something: she may regret some of her choices, but she would never regret joining the Order.


	4. "If You Fall, You Fail."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I made a super chapter for the Jedi Trials.

Ch 4  
"Are you sure I'm ready, Master?" 17 year old Larissa asked, looking down at her green master.  
"Doubt me, do you?" He asked.  
Larissa looked away quickly before a grin came onto her pale face. "Of course not, it's just, I am younger than the other padawan's going through the trials."  
"Nothing to do with trials, age does."  
She bit her lip slightly, still unsure whether she was ready. "In you, doubt I sense." He said.  
She cast a glance down at the old Master. "I don't know if I am ready, Master."  
"Focused on age you are. Let go of it you must."  
Larissa took in a deep breath before she allowed a smile to appear on her face. "Okay Master."  
"Good, good. Before trials, spar last time, we will."  
Larissa's eyes lit up and she followed her Master to the training room, where other padawan's were being trained as well, including her friend Nahdar. Nahdar did not pass his trials and would have to wait awhile before he could try again. She nodded to Master Fisto, who was meditating with Nahdar, and to Anakin, with his new padawan, Ahsoka. Ahsoka had been found not to long ago alone on her home planet by Master Plo Koon. Larissa had been sure he would have been her Master, however, Anakin had been chosen. Probably their attitude similarities. Ahsoka did tend to disobey orders. The padawan's looked up as the two took off their cloaks and ignites their lightsabers. Larissa took pride in the fact that her fighting style resembled her Master, although she was nowhere near as good as him or any of the masters for that matter. Larissa took a breath and stepped closer to the Master, who watched her with careful and wise eyes. He nodded as he noticed she made no further attempt to get closer. Yoda did a front flip over her and she quickly jumped back to see she had fallen for his tricks and he had already jumped back. She heard his lightsaber and quickly flipped and turned her body before deflecting his green lightsaber with her own. The beams crackled under the connection. Yoda may be small, but at her age and experience, Larissa knew better than to think she had ANY advantage over him. Yoda was offensive in his fighting style, but nowhere near as aggressive as Kit Fisto, yet he was also defensive but not as passive as Obi-Wan. She focused her violet eyes on him as they continued to hold the strain of the beams, with him now pushing the strain onto her. She ducked and rolled away as she pulled out of the confrontation, never once letting her lightsaber down. She heard him quickly moving towards her and she spun away only to flip over his head and behind him. Again, their lightsabers met as she was too slow to move away, and this time her hand slip and she dropped her lightsaber, loosing. Yoda nodded and murmured to himself quietly as Larissa pulled herself back up and put away her lightsaber. "Ready you are." He said with confidence.  
It was true she can last a lot longer in a spar with her Master, but that doesn't mean anything. Still, if he believed she was ready, than she was. "Rest you should go. Tomorrow Trials are."  
Larissa nodded and bowed once before she began to walk out of the room. She heard two voices speak through the Force into her mind, one was Anakin's the other was Master Fisto's, "Good Luck." Anakin had said.  
"You've come a long way from where you began, Larissa, you are ready." Master Fisto told her.  
Her heart warmed and she shot a smile at the two, thankful for their words, before she left the room and headed to her personal chambers. She opened the door and walked over to the window overlooking the busy street outside. She kept the lights off as she watched the night sky darken further, until she could see herself in the window. Her long bright blue hair was pulled up and was draped over her shoulder. The scars on her abdomen were visible, as she now kept them, but one was slightly more noticeable than the others: the one from 5 years ago. After what had happened, she quickly learned to suppress her memories and always listened to her Master. Her violet eyes still stood out from everything else. "A good thing".she recalled Master Kenobi saying, "as they have a starry and kind look to them."  
Nahdar said her eyes were kind of scary, but that didn't surprise her, coming from him. Nahdar had become her friend over the years, despite their differences in the beginning. Although, something had changed in him after he failed the Trials. She pushed away the thought and placed a hand on the window remembering how she had been in this same spot over 5 years ago. The crystal bands on her head glittered in the window. Her clothes were purple and black, a choice she had questioned her Master about, but he saw no problem with it. He said it would change after she became a Knight. The half smile that she took to using now began to form on her face; Master Yoda really believed she was ready. She took her hand off the window and closed the window off from the outside, so no one could see her, before she changed into her light nightgown. Larissa let her hair down and ran her hands through it before getting into the bed and quickly falling asleep.

 

Larissa stood before the Council, joined by two older padawan's. She didn't remember their names only who their Masters were. The taller guy was Ki Adi Mundi's padawan and the purple Twi’lek girl was Master Luminara's padawan. Master Yoda nodded to them and they followed him to the front of the temple where they each had their own small pole they had to balance on while holding their ignited lightsaber. Larissa climbed up on hers and balanced with one leg standing, the other folding into her knee. Her hand was on her lightsaber, waiting to begin. Master Luminara stepped forward, "Padawan's, this is the first step of your journey. The Trial of Skill. To pass it, you must balance on the pole with your lightsaber ignited until the the sun lowers behind the temple. If you fall, you fail."  
She looked at all of them. "Begin."  
Larissa quickly ignited her lightsaber and held it straight up in front of her face. She took one look at the sun before closing her violet eyes. It was only noon.

 

-3 hours later-

 

The sun was just beginning to set, but her muscles were already feeling the strain of hours of balancing. The sweat had yet to come but she knew it was only a matter of time before fatigue combined with strain. She also knew there was no way she was going to fall, she was not going to disappoint her Master. Over to her left, she could hear the boy struggling with his breath. She wanted to tell him to be strong but that was against the rules of the Trials and she wasn't going to open her eyes. She had no idea how much time had passed, only that the sun was no longer as bad as it was, meaning it was most likely beginning it's descent into night.

 

-almost 3 hours later-

 

The Masters watched as the padawan's balanced on top of the beams. All still standing despite how some had shifted. They didn't fail to notice how Larissa had not moved the entire time she was up there. The other two were holding strong despite how they had struggled before. Yoda and Mace Windu turned their attention to behind them as the sun started to fall behind the temple, casting a shadow that began to get longer and longer

 

Larissa opened her eyes just as the sun fell behind the temple. She had made it. Looking around, still balancing as they had not been told to get down, she saw the other padawans were still standing as well. She turned her attention back to the Masters as Master Windu began speaking, "You have completed the first Trial, you still have four more to go, however. Jump off the beams and follow Master Fisto to the high tower for the Trial of Spirit."  
Larissa jumped off of the beam, her stiff muscles aching in protest, but she still followed the Nautolan without any sound. The two behind her also made no noise, but she saw them rubbing their sore legs as soon as the Masters were out of sight. Fisto opened the door to the room and they walked into to see it was devoid of anything save for four pillows. They each sat down and listened as Master Fisto explained what was to happen, "This next Trial is no easy task to complete. You must look inside of yourself and find the dark side that lives inside of each of you. Defeat it and you will pass this trial. Beware as any small distraction could cause you to fail. The dark side could be lurking in any part of your mind. I will be monitoring your thoughts as some padawan's have been driven insane by failing to defeat the darkness in them. Now begin."  
Keeping that bit of information in mind, Larissa began meditating. She searched through her memories but found nothing. She searched her feelings. nothing. It had to be somewhere, the dark side of the Force was in every being. She just had to find it. That's when what he said came to mind. ANY part of her mind.

 

Oh no.

 

With some frustration, she realized where it was. The memories she had shut off so long ago and for excellent reasons. And here she was, about to open them up again in hopes of searching for the dark side. If it was anywhere, it would be there. As soon as she opened the past back up, she was plunged into the memory itself, living it over again. She was aboard the ship being chased by the separatists, in her mother's arms, crying. Weak, she heard in her head. You are still weak. This voice now sounded behind her and she turned around but no one was there. Larissa focused on the ship once more as it fell to the unarmed planet's surface in a ball of flames. She walked among the wreckage and saw herself lying unconscious with her father being pulled away by royal guards, unconscious as well. They left and she was still standing there. You should have died, the voice echoed again. Her heart began to beat faster as the separatists landed and picked her up, dragging her to the ship where they took her to a remote place. They began torturing the 5 year old, just as she remembered. Larissa couldn't look away even if she wanted to. You could stop this. The voice sounded right next to her and she looked to see a woman clad in black with a lightsaber standing next to her. It was her, only, this woman had numerous scars on her arms and the underneath of her eyes was black. "Why don't you do something!" She screamed at Larissa, pain dripping in her voice.  
Larissa took out her lightsaber and ignited it, watching the woman before her who made no attempt to fight. "Of course you won't you're too weak."  
She used the Force and started choking Larissa. "It's all your fault."  
Even with her vision darkening, Larissa was able to swing her lightsaber at the woman. Just as it went through her, the woman image changed to that of a small human boy with purple eyes. As it went right through, he held a smile on his face. She felt Master Fisto's mind pull away as she opened her violet eyes, barely seeing the shock mirrored in his brown ones. She was shaking slightly and one lone thought kept attacking her mind: who was the boy? Next to her the other padawan's were shaking as well. "You all have passed the Trial of Spirit, follow me back down to the temple." He said, after briefly shaking his head.  
That's when it hit her, she was the last one to pass the Trial. They walked down the stairs and Larissa pushed the previous events out of her mind, not wanting the council to be confronted with what had happened. As they walked outside, Master Yoda looked over the padawan's with a nod. "Pass they did." He said.  
Master Fisto nodded and went back to his spot among the Masters. "Sit out you will Larissa. Passed this trial you have already."  
Larissa furrowed her eyebrows but went off to the side he had pointed for her to go to. If she had already passed the Trial, she had a pretty good idea of which Trial it was. "The Trial of Flesh is grueling and painful. To pass, you must spar with each other for two hours straight. If you give up, you fail. If you cannot continue because of the pain, you fail." Master Fisto said.  
.....coming from the usually smiling and positive Fisto, those words were uncharacteristically dark. Larissa stood and watched as the other two padawan's set up to spar. They would be sparring hand to hand combat. As they began, she was interested, but not as interested as she usually was when watching the Masters spar. She saw some flaws in their form that if she had ever done in the presence of Yoda, she would have had to practice basic technique for hours and hours. The dominance in the fight constantly shifted from the boy to the girl, but it was clear after about an hour, they were in pain. From the winces as they hit each other, even lightly, bruises were forming and some were already purple on their skin. Larissa didn't envy them, but at least those bruises would eventually fade away. Her scars never would. After the events of five years ago, she now had not three but four scars along her abdomen. The two padawans continued to fight on and on until Master Windu walked over and stopped them. He placed a hand on each of their shoulders and kept them from sparring. "Time is up, you two have passed."  
As soon as those words left his mouth, the girl collapsed, unconscious. Larissa noticed the Masters had faint concern on their face and she walked over and helped the girl up as she stirred. Windu nodded before he walked back over to the Masters. "The next Trial will take place at dusk tomorrow. You will be taken to a more remote place on Coruscant where you must infiltrate a building behind guarded and patrolled by us Masters as well as some clones where you must retrieve each of your lightsabers. You three will work together. When being transported there, you will open a container we are about to give you. Only then may you discuss strategy. Now you are dismissed."  
They bowed to the Masters before they walked away. Once out of sight of the Masters, the girl collapsed again, this time she was conscious. "I'm never going to be Knighted." She despaired.  
"Not talking like that you won't." Larissa pointed out.  
The boy next to her nodded and they pulled the girl back up. "But I fell right in front of them." She said.  
"You had already passed. It's not like they are going to say you didn't."  
The girl looked at Larissa before nodding and following the other two to the meditation room, where they were going to clear their mind. Well, the other two were, Larissa was going to find answers.  
\------------------------------------  
Master Fisto was reporting what he had seen to Master Yoda and Master Windu, no one else because he didn't think they needed to know. He had wanted to know what the boy was doing in her memories and who he was. "Did she act any different?" Windu asked once he was done.  
He shook his head, "No but she did seem just as confused. Maybe a little bit upset at killing an innocent."  
Yoda nodded and mumbled to himself at his answer. "Dark side trying to protect itself. Strong was her presence. Too strong for the dark side."  
Fisto nodded. That would make sense. There was no logical explanation for the boy to appear otherwise. He had already offered Master Yoda to look inside his mind and see what he saw, but Yoda saw no purpose in that. He was about to leave when he felt something he could not explain. Worry? Confusion? Determination? He couldn't tell where it was coming from all he knew is it was strong. "Fisto is something wrong?" Windu asked.  
"Can you feel-"  
"Yes, yes. Padawan's meditating they are."  
He made an oh face before leaving the room. He's never felt emotions this strong from padawan's in Trial meditation. He walked to his chambers and, instead of resting, began meditating. He cast his thoughts in search of the mind he had a feeling was emitting those emotions. He was right, Larissa was feeling those emotions. He heard her thoughts almost clearly. He knew what she was searching for. Larissa, I strongly advise against what you are doing. He felt her shock but it was instantly masked by indifference as she threw up her mental walls. Thankfully, he was more skilled at mind games than her so he was able to get through her walls. You need to be resting, not straining your mind Larissa. If you do not stop I will be forced to share this with the council. He felt the girl give up and she left her memories, but he still kept an eye on her. Do not worry, young one. It was just the Dark side trying to protect itself. Fisto felt a feeling of small relief pass over the padawan as he retreated from her mind. At least now he knows she will rest.

 

Larissa held onto the top of the ship as it flew over to where they would be taking the Trial of Courage. The other girl was sitting with her head in her hands and the boy was pacing back and forth. "Calm down." She muttered. 

The Masters were no doubt listening and she really didn't want the other two padawan's to be put in a low light going into this Trial. The boy ignored her and continued pacing around, however, the girl nodded and sat up, watching the boy pace. Larissa held the container that had the layout of the building in it, they would open it once they had arrived at wherever they would be starting. She felt the ship begin to descend and straightened up to see the other two had done the same. "We have orders to let you off here." One of the clones called back. 

Larissa furrowed her eyebrows, they were still twenty feet up, were they supposed to jump? She shrugs and looks at the other two. They nod and tighten their cloaks. Larissa lets them dive in first before waving goodbye to the clones and diving in. Even with her cloak on, the water was freezing. She looked at the other two and saw the direction they were swimming in and followed. As expected, she was the last to get out, on the bank was a tree stump with a small black bag on it. Larissa opened it while the other two caught their breath. Inside was three pieces of cloth with a white pattern on them, the next was a medium size bag of water, and then a sheet of paper labeled, 'Instructions'. Larissa brought the bag over to them and showed them everything before reading the instructions out loud. "You must retrieve your padawan beads from inside the compound. You will have to clear the rooms to retrieve the keys to each room, but beware, each of the rooms is guarded by a Master. The rooms will have different tasks that pertain to that Masters strength. If any of the Masters defeat you, whatever the challenge, you have failed and will stay with the Master you were bested by. The challenges will be a mystery, but a hint at what they could be will be on the map provided. Some words of caution: be smart in how you use the water. After you have finished reading this, you may break the seal on the container."

She looked up and the other two's jaws had dropped. "We are going against the Masters?" The girl asked in a small voice.

Apparently so. Larissa helped the two up and they opened the container before pulling out the map. Her eyes widened at the size of the building, it was massive. The walls were thick and she imagined they were also tall, seeing as they would not be able to detect the height of anything in the building. They spread the map out on the stump, analyzing every corner and room. The boy pointed to the path, "If we take this path to the front, we can climb up the side and enter the compound." 

Larissa shakes her head, "There are bound to be Masters, yes plural, guarding the entrance. One on the path and maybe two guarding the walls. We could cut through the forest and we climb up some of the trees and we figure out where the Masters are." 

Both of them nod their heads. "By the way, I never caught your names." Larissa adds. 

The Twi’lek girl smiles, "I'm Layla, Master Secura’s padawan."

"I'm Badu, Ki Adi Mundi's padawan." The boy greets. 

"Nice to meet you then, I'm Larissa, Master Yoda's padawan." Larissa smiles. 

They just stare at her, but she takes no notice and looks down at the map. "Where do you think they are?" Layla asks. 

Larissa shakes her head, "The question is who is there. I noticed the ventilation system is also shown, meaning a Master is there. Now, we can expect Master Yoda to be guarding the beads, which leaves the other Master from the same race." Larissa looks away awkwardly, "I forgot her name, but we have to watch out for her."

Badu pouts, "So we have to keep an eye on the ceiling as well?"

She nods and Layla points to something on the Map, "What's this green stuff?"

Larissa looks at the room in question, it was filled with a green substance. "It's toxic air. Which means Master Plo Koon is there." Badu answers. 

She nods in response to him, the only Master who could survive in toxic air would be Master Koon, considering oxygen is poisonous to his race. Larissa turned her attention to the front of the building, there was a room seeming to be filled with beams. "Which Master would be here?" She asked, seeing if any of them would know. 

"Maybe Skywalker, is he good at balancing?" Badu asks. 

Larissa and Layla share a glance before they burst out laughing. The mere notion of Anakin being able to balance was extremely hilarious. He had about the balance as a giant whale had on a wire line. "Definitely not Master Skywalker, maybe Master Obi-Wan?" Layla laughed. 

Larissa bit her lip, "I think that is where Shaak Ti will be. I've heard she is well balanced." Larissa inputted. 

"Although, it might have been funnier to see Master Skywalker try and balance." Layla whispers. 

Larissa and Badu put their hands over her mouth to stop her from laughing, while barely putting down their own. No doubt the Masters were still listening, it would probably not serve them well to be laughing at them. The blue haired girl shared a glance with the raven haired human, amusement was in his eyes, but so was caution. They got up and turned back to the map, but Larissa couldn't help herself from laughing quietly, this Twi'lek girl had a lot of guts to openly laugh at a Master and not be frightened. Especially at who the Master was. They looked over the map, guessing at who would be where, when they came upon something odd: an empty room. "Huh, did they forget to fill something in? Or is it a mystery?" Badu asked, pointing at it. 

Larissa shook her head. "No, if it’s empty, then it's empty. I don't know what it could be, but my guess is Master Windu is there." She says. 

Layla crosses out the Master's name in the sand. "That leaves Master Obi-Wan, Skywalker, Fisto, Luminara, and Mundi." She counts. 

Larissa smiles before replying, "Well, obviously Master Fisto is going to be near water so that answers who's in the water room. Master Skywalker and Luminara are on the walls. The only trouble is figuring out whether Obi-Wan is in the last room or Master Mundi." She bit her lip, trying to figure out which one it would be. 

"Well, we're about to find out." Badu said. 

They put everything except for the map into the bag and got up to leave. Badu grabbed the bag first, "We'll rotate taking care of the bag."

The girls both nodded and they walked to the edge of the forest. Larissa opened the map and traced the path through the tall trees, "I think we should avoid the path and go through the trees."

Badu nodded and they got off the path and stepped into the trees. The sun shined through the trees and made everything glow a greenish color. They were walking through, watching their steps to avoid stepping on anything, when they heard a sound coming to their right. Steps, quiet, but still audible. Layla seemed not to have heard it because she kept on walking until the other two pulled her back. Larissa motioned with her head to the path when Layla gave them an accusing look. She nodded and they looked around at each other; of them, Layla was the most able to blend in because her skin was light purple and she was very quiet on her feet, so she would be going to see what the sound was, with the other two shortly behind her. Larissa watched the Twi'lek’s back as they approached the path where the steps were now louder. They saw her face peek out between the trees before she began stepping back. They gave her questioning eyes and she walked over to them, "Mundi."

They nodded and began back on their way through the trees. Larissa looked at the map briefly just to see how far the compound actually was. "Shouldn't be that much farther." 

She closed the map and slid it into the container slung around her back. "What are we going to do when we get there?" Layla asked. 

"We'll cross that bridge when it happens. We still don't know where they will be guarding the walls. We just- is that a trap?!" Larissa stopped, seeing a silver net hanging from the tree.

It was connected to a sensor that looked very much like a weight plate. "I think it is." Badu laughed. 

"Gee I wonder who set it." Layla said sarcastically. 

It was really a no brainer who had set the trap, the only person capable of that was Anakin. He had after all, been a slave before he was brought to the Temple. Larissa stepped carefully around the sensor and the other two followed her lead. The wall was now within sight and they could see it wasn't very tall; maybe twenty feet at a max. If they weren't worried about being seen, they could have Force jumped over it. However, they were VERY worried about being seen, so Force jumping was not an option. Badu climbed up a tree and Larissa followed, with Layla shortly behind. "There." Badu pointed once they had gotten up. 

She looked to where he was pointing to see Master Luminara and Anakin, just as they had predicted. "They're patrolling along the walls, that's not going to work with the plan we made." Badu pointed out. 

"We'll never make it up the walls." She agreed. 

She looked back to see Layla grinning like an idiot. "I have an idea."

 

Larissa had to agree, it was a very good idea. The plan was for them to wait for the next Master to pass, which happened to be Anakin, and then two of them would wait by the wall and the third person would run to three of the traps and spring them with rocks to lure away the Masters before running back and joining the other two on the inside of the wall. She didn't have a problem with this plan, not even when they all agreed she should run it, only of course because she was the fastest. She knew that was true, as well as the fact that she would be able to easily escape from them if they got too close. So here she was, standing in the forest with her presence melded into it so when Anakin came around the bend, he wouldn't notice her. As soon as he had passed, she ran as fast as she could to the area where the traps were. She Force threw the rocks really quickly and winced at the loud sound of the trap being set. As soon as she heard people running towards her, the Lorian ran away to the wall. "It was just a decoy!" She heard Anakin shout. 

Larissa let out a mischievous laugh, why yes it was Anakin. She broke through the forest and jumped up the wall, casting a glance back at the two Jedi who had just broke through the forest. Anakin give her a grin and she waved goodbye to the human before jumping down. Layla and Badu caught her and helped her down before they all shared a grin. That risky and fast plan actually worked. Layla jumped up and down before she stopped suddenly, "That was the easy part wasn't it?" 

Her words cut through their momentary happiness. How could they be so happy after one small victory? "Yes, but we still succeeded." Badu said. 

Larissa nodded, they still succeeded, but maybe they could tone down on the happiness. After all, they still had to defeat each Master in something. They walked through the dark lit stone hallways, Layla watching the ventilation system, Badu watching their backs and Larissa watching the front. They approached the first door and were surprised to see it was slightly ajar. Badu cautiously pushed it open further and saw Shaak Ti balancing in the middle of the a room of beams. "How's everyone's balance?" Larissa whispered. 

"I'm good." Layla said. 

"So-so."

Badu's response worried her to the point where she said, "Here let's trade right now, Layla you get the map and I'll carry the bag."

Badu gave her a thankful glance and she merely nodded. She didn't want any of them failing. They went onto the same beam together, Layla in front, Larissa in the back, and Badu in the middle so they could steady him if need be. Shaak Ti had opened her eyes by now and was watching them, faintly amused. She pulled her arm up to her head and pressed her commlink, "Master Luminara and Skywalker, I am surprised they easily passed you." She scolded. 

"They are very tricky, Master."

"Yes do not give them anything that can be used against you."

Master Luminara's words seemed to surprise Shaak Ti. "What does that mean?" She asked, but the link had already been dropped. 

Larissa was about ready to laugh at the look on the Master's face, but instinct told her not to. Shaak Ti began advancing towards them, her hand on her lightsaber. "Layla?" Larissa whispered. 

The girl looked up for a moment. "Hmm?"

She saw the Master advancing and understood. "Can you handle yourself Badu?" Larissa asked. 

He still wouldn't look up, but that was fine because he just nodded. Maybe he didn't want to see what was happening. "Get across as soon as you can." Larissa said. 

"Sure." The human mumbled, "Just making my way across the death beams."

She slightly laughed before she grabbed her lightsaber and jumped to another beam with Layla to confront Shaak Ti. The three shared a smile before all of them lit their sabers at once. Two padawans against a Master. We have no chance, Larissa quietly thought. Shaak Ti struck towards Layla first, their lightsabers screaming under the connection. Larissa jumped behind the Master who, realizing what Larissa was going for, jumped away to the lone Badu, who was almost across. "Oh hello, you know what fine." Badu said tartly before he disappeared under the beams. 

Shaak Ti looked under her feet, her lightsaber still drawn, and the other padawans realized he was climbing underneath the beams. Larissa grinned and put away her lightsaber before dropping to beneath the beams, followed by Layla. "That's what she meant." Shaak Ti hissed. 

Layla began giggling and on instinct Larissa shushed her. The girl peaked her violet eyes over the beam to see an absence of Shaak Ti. Her body acting over her mind, she pulled Layla up onto the beam and they began as quickly as they could to the exit. "Wait the Key!" Layla whispered as they touched the platform. 

She groaned internally and turned around. "You mean this key?" Badu asks, standing watching them. 

Larissa smiles until she sees something behind him. "Duck!" She yelled at him. 

He complies and a green lightsaber connects with a blue one as Shaak Ti jumps over Badu. Behind her, she could hear Badu and Layla getting the door open, so she tries to distract Shaak Ti by leading the fight back onto the beams. The Master swung at Larissa, but failed to hit and ended up slicing through a beam. The brownish beam cracked and groaned before beginning to fall apart. The two Jedi jump out of the way of the collapsing beams. Larissa is on the side of the beams facing the door. She puts away her lightsaber and runs through the door, hearing Shaak Ti's commlink go off, "They have passed through my room." 

"Okay, but did you have to break everything?" Obi-Wan responded. 

"Oh hush."

The padawan's chuckled slightly as they walked down the hallway; the Masters were very childish when they weren't in council. The next door was shut and had no obvious way of opening, causing them to have to stop. They took turns trying to open it, with all their efforts being futile. "I don't get it, this is the door to the next room right?" Larissa asks. 

Badu shrugs, leaving Larissa to try and open the door while he and Layla watch the corridors. She ran her hands along the door until something catches her eye, a small sensor blending into the rest of the door. The ghost of a grin is on her face as she uses the Force on the sensor, opening the door. Larissa lets Badu and Layla walk through first, both giving her a smile in the process, before entering herself and letting the black door slide shut. Their footsteps echoed through the dark hallway, and they found themselves blinking to try to adjust their eyes to the darkness. Not too long later, they came across a maze, barely visible because of glowing lights. "Who had the maze again?" Layla whispered. 

"Secura." Badu said, solemnly. 

"Why did we think it was her room? It’s so dark in here!" Larissa whispered. 

Layla whipped her head around, nearly whacking Badu and Larissa in the process, "You think it's dark in here?" She asked, surprised. 

The Lorian girl mentally cursed herself, she had forgotten Twi'leks have exceptional night vision. That's why Master Secura would be in this room. Not to mention the blue woman was very sneaky and quiet on her feet. They let Layla lead the way as the began until they came upon a fork in the maze, causing them to stop. "Which way do we go?" Layla asks. 

Larissa steps in front of her and let's the feelings from the paths roll through her. A feeling of dread filled her as she picked out pieces from the feelings. "Down that way is Master Secura. One problem with that, the key is also down that way and it's darker over there than over here." Her words echoed slightly even though they were whispers. 

"Well, than let's go." Layla said, walking to the corresponding path.

Badu and Larissa share a look before they follow the purple padawan down the path. "I'll keep my eyes open, Larissa you sense for things, okay?" The Twi'lek asks. 

Larissa nods and every now and then she would place a hand on the maze floor, just to test for vibration, saving the Force to hide their presence. They kept their lightsabers off to blend into the dark; Larissa had even taken her crystal off to hide whatever light would reach them. She froze when she felt a strong presence fastly approaching, followed by the others who had felt it too. They kept quiet and stayed in the exact spot they were, when a form jumped from the top of one wall to another, completely missing the padawan's. Knowing that she might be back to see if she had seen anything, they flattened their bodies against the wall and inched away to where the key should be. Suddenly a blur shoots out from the wall, and Larissa blinks to see Layla running for the key. They caught her just in time as Master Secura jumped over again. When she disappears again, Layla opens her hand to show the silver key, and the padawan’s let out a sigh of relief. They made their way quietly to the exit, the key held tightly to them. The next couple of rooms passed without problems and no run ins with anymore Masters. Their luck seemed to have ran out as they came to the room filled with toxic gas. "How are we supposed to get through there?" Badu asked, a disparity undertone lining his voice.  
Larissa looked at the bag that contained the cloth and water. "Easily." She whispered.  
She quickly grabbed the water and soaked each of the cloths in them before handing one to each of them. They seemed to understand as they tied them around their nose and mouth before pulling the hood to their cloaks over their head. The door opened swiftly and they walked in. The gas stung their skin as they made their way through, exploring the large empty room. Larissa's ear twitched slightly as a faint rustling behind them became audible. She knew with their hoods on, no one could tell the difference between them, keeping them safe from attack momentarily. Or at least, that was her reasoning. Her hopes and senses were high, unwilling to have to fight in this gas. Although, they still had no idea where the key or Master Plo Koon was, so for now they had to resort to exploring the room.  
Minutes of seemingly endless walking later, she sensed something following them. "Do you feel that?" She whispered in Badu's and Layla's ears.  
Badu shook his head and gave Larissa a ‘what’ look, but Layla gave a short nod, not looking back. She didn't want to look back either, but if it was Master Koon, well, they were going to have to avoid being ambushed. A quick look behind her showed a faint shadow in the gas, far enough back to go unnoticed. A mischievous idea came into her mind. "I'm going to go off in another direction and look for the key." Larissa whispered just loud enough, so that the Master behind them could barely hear.  
"What?! He's still out there somewhere!" Layla furiously hissed.  
"I think she can handle herself, when you need to come back, just contact us through the Force." Badu said, calming the Twi'lek.  
Layla nodded slightly and her and Badu continued walked away while Larissa stood in place for a moment before running in the opposite direction. If she was right, there should be support beams crossing the ceiling. And she was. However, getting to them would create noise, something she wasn't sure would be a good idea, considering Master Koon could switch from following them to pursuing her; another reason why she had to hurry. That's when she found a wall, it stretched up to the ceiling and would provide the best way to get to the ceiling. Larissa ran at the wall and jumped onto it before doing a flip and grabbing one of the beams and hanging on it. Unfortunately, only one hand had a grip, the other was slipping quickly. She twisted her body and climbed up on to the beam; the movement made a loud sound that echoed through the dark green mist. Larissa let out a low growl as she felt the Master begin approaching. She saw him ignite his lightsaber and pressed herself closer to the wall of the beam…..only to have it creak. The Lorian whipped her head around for a split second before turning back to see he had disappeared. Instead, the beam shifted slightly as she felt the Master jump up. She didn’t feel exactly secure on top of the beam so instead of confronting him, which she thought would have been fun, she jumped over to the nearest beam. And it was suddenly a race. He would always speed up with every beam she jumped to. As she jumped to another one, a flash of light caught her eye. Hope filled her as she set her eyes on the small metallic shape. Larissa had barely jumped to the next beam right as the Master jumped next to her. She didn’t wait for him to ignite his lightsaber before she leapt and grabbed the key from where it was hanging. Rolling when she landed, she began running, not knowing where her fellow padawans were. Larissa threw up her lightsaber as she fell onto the pavement. Koon had caught up and tripped her, meeting her green lightsaber with his own. “In a rush, padawan?” He asked with a slight laugh.

Without missing a beat, Larissa said,”Yep, got a Trial to finish.”

She pushed away his lightsaber and began to run away when she heard him jump. Larissa rolled out of the way, barely escaping the attack…When she coughed. In rolling out of the way, she had ripped off the rag covering her nose and mouth. She saw it beneath his feet and slid before grabbing it, but the damage was already done. Her coughing was greeted by her left arm beginning to shake uncontrollably. Letting go of hiding, Larissa used the Force and found Badu and Layla, who were less than pleased to see her coughing. “Why did you take off the rag?” Badu half hissed.

“Master Koon attacked me, slid, didn’t realize.” She responded in between coughs.

Layla frowned before helping her walk as her legs began to shake as well. Badu separated the gas with the Force and they walked to the door, hearing Master Plo talk through his commlink as they did. “We are going to wait here, you need to recover Larissa.” Badu ordered.

Before the Lorian could protest, a barrage of coughs attacked her body, leaving her without an argument. Badu paced around with his hand on his lightsaber, knowing that there was still a master in the vents. “I’m sorry.” Larissa said once the coughs subsided.

It was true, she hadn’t meant for the rag to fall off her face, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t at fault. “If I had been more careful, none of this would have happened.”

Badu held out a hand to help her up, “You could have been more careful,” He admitted, “But you still got the key and you got past Master Plo, that has to count for something.”

Layla nodded and placed a hand on the younger padawan’s shoulder. “We should get going, who knows what our next obstacle will be.” The Twi’leks accent stuck her words like a mallet to a drum, bringing their current task to the front of Larissa’s mind.

She nodded and they set off at once down the hallway to the next room. Badu’s hand was about to pass over the sensor when he froze. “Do you feel that?” He whispered.

Before she could ask what, mischievous feeling reached her and suddenly, she knew which Master was in there. “Fisto.” she muttered.

The purple girl beside her let out a low curse that the other two barely picked up. “He’s got something up his sleeve, we may be walking into a trap.” She explained at the looks they gave her.

“Guess we are about to find out.” Badu groaned.

The door opened with a click and the padawans walked in to see a form hanging upside down from a beam on the ceiling. The Nautolan Master grinned at them before he flipped and landed in front of them, giving them barely enough time to ignite their lightsabers. They put up a good fight, but it wasn’t long before Larissa hit a wall and Layla and Badu were hanging upside down from the ceiling. So that is why he had been on the ceiling. “If you want them back, you will have to defeat me.” Fisto said, letting the blue-haired girl stand back up.

“That’s not fair, Master.” Larissa stated, standing up holding her side.

“You can handle it.” His familiar grin formed and Larissa shook her head at the reference.

“Okay, I’ll play your game, Master.”

She straightened up and ignited her lightsaber again, sighing slightly as she got ready to duel Master Fisto. Unlike before, she was ready for him. Rather than meeting his lightsaber when he swung at her, she jumped to the side and knocked him off his feet before twisting away as he tried to grab her when he fell. He was back on his feet almost immediately, trying to attack her again. Their lightsabers clashed and she immediately dropped into a defensive stance in order to keep her grip on her lightsaber from dropping against the much stronger Master. Even with her stance, she could feel herself slipping against the advantage he had. Sweat had begun to build on the back of her neck from the strain of her muscles trying to hold against him. Larissa stole to the right, avoiding his lightsaber as she dropped the connection. Fisto’s hand hit her already bruised side and she momentarily fell to the ground, throwing up her lightsaber to block him as she recovered from the jagged pain racking her body. But she was already weak from her muscles and her side so she had to move away quickly before standing up and facing the Master, one hand holding her side to dull the pain. Trying to use her momentary weakness, he tried to swing at her a few times, but she just danced out of the way as she let the pain go away. He frowned slightly when she flipped over his head and backed into the wall behind him; Fisto turned and began to advance to attack her again.  Larissa did not let the happiness rise on her face as she saw he had left himself open slightly; instead she just attacked him. Ignoring the protest of her tired muscles, she ran and jumped before kicking him in the chest and flipping back down to the ground. The groan he emitted when he hit a wall made her wince slightly, but it didn’t stop her from putting her lightsaber very close to his neck. Both were breathing heavily as Fisto gave her a huge smile when she backed away, “Congratulations, young one, you have beaten a Master.”

He used the force to release Layla and Badu before he pulled off something tied to his lightsaber. Relief washed through her as he handed her the small key. Something told her she should be happy for beating a master, but all she could think about was finishing the Trials with her friends. Larissa bowed to the Master and, after he bowed back, she followed the other two to the door on the opposite side of the water. A question in her mind stopped her for a moment and she turned back to the Master who was moving his shoulder around to try and ease the pain, “Why is there water in here if you didn’t even use it?”

Fisto laughed very loudly at her question and turned on his commlink, “I’ve been beaten.”

He looked slightly indignant as he heard their response, “You sound like they did a number on you, Kit. What exactly happened?”

Master Kenobi sounded slightly concerned.

Instead of responding to Obi-Wan’s question, he let out a low growl and shut off the commlink before turning back to Larissa, “I had changed my plans after I heard Master Plo report.” He smiled with a wink.

She shook her head and smiled back at the Master, “And that is why you lost.”

The purple eyed girl walked out of the room, the sound of his laughter still echoing. Layla looked at her with extremely big eyes and she walked up holding her side. “You defeated a Master!” she exclaimed quietly.

Happiness started to creep in on Larissa but she fought it by saying, “Anything for a fellow Jedi.”

Badu laughed quietly at her words before he patted her back, only to stop as she winced. “He did some damage didn’t he?”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

She couldn’t help but giggle slightly at her own pain, to think this it what would happen if she had to beat a Master! They walked into the next room and found Master Windu sitting quietly in it. “Sit.” He ordered.

The padawans shared a look before obeying the Master and sitting in front of him. “I’m going to fight each of you inside of your minds. Keep me out and you win, I push past your walls and I win. Ready?”

He watched them with his dark brown eyes before nodding and closing his eyes. Each of the padawans took a deep breath before retreating into each of their separate minds.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Layla wasn’t sure why she decided to go as deep into her mind as she did, maybe she thought it would have better protection- it did- but it also had some unexpected consequences. One that she wouldn’t realize until too late. The Twi’lek successfully held back each barrage of attacks he sent her; from false hopes to threats, she continuously pushed him away. You have passed, Layla. His voice filled her with happiness and she felt him withdraw from her mind, only to have a vision drown her before she could drop her walls.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------Larissa was walking down a never ending room with nothing but a gray floor in sight. Then his voice filled her head. She had half expected it to be Master Windu’s, but she knew better than that. Instead, the sinister voice of Count Dooku echoed within her head. The Lorian turned around and there stood the Sith with his hand on his lightsaber. “Join me, Larissa, and together we can make Yoda pay.”

Why would I want my Master to pay? “No thanks, Dooku, I am in no mood to play your games.”

As terrifying smile reached his face and she couldn’t help but take a step back. "Shhh, Jedi aren't allowed to feel fear, so let the Darkness consume you, Larissa.”

He attacked her with his lightsaber and she pulled out her own and held him off. “I will never join the Dark side, sith.” She spat out the last word and spun away from him.

"In time, all things will fall to darkness. Stop delaying your turn and join me."

"I fight the darkness for those whose time has not yet come."

She swing her lightsaber at him and he disappeared, “So unwise.” His voice lingered in her mind before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Larissa turned around to discover she no longer had her lightsaber because Windu was holding it, “You have passed, Larissa.” He smiled slightly before disappearing.

And she opened her eyes. There would only be a couple of rooms left and then it was over. Happiness filled her to the brim until she saw the sadness on Layla’s face. Oh no.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

The boy fell off of the balance beam once again and he kicked the beam in frustration, but all that did was hurt his foot. “Master I cannot do it.” Badu cried.

He remembered this day, when his Master had forced him to balance on that beam for hours on end. “Keep trying, my padawan. You will get it eventually.” Master Mundi said as they walked back into the temple.

“I don’t know, Master, it seems like everything is working against me as I do so.”

“Of course, gravity is.”

Badu remembered how that hadn’t made him feel any better, instead it made him feel worse. Later that night he had woken up feeling horrible and kept telling himself he was never going to be a Jedi, that it was all just an illusion. That it would be better if he just left. Badu grabbed his things and made for the door to his room when he remembered his Master’s words, “I believe in you, Badu. If you put your heart to it, I know you will get it.”

He hadn’t thought much of his Master’s words at the time, but now that he was about to walk away from the best thing in his life, they meant everything to him. Yet, the negatives kept coming back. He couldn’t beat a simple commando droid and he definitely couldn’t balance. With one foot out the door, his Master’s face entered his mind and he walked back into his room. So what if he couldn’t balance? Balancing was for girls anyways. A light chuckle met his mind and Master Windu’s voice greeted his mind, you have passed, Badu.

And he opened his eyes.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Badu, Larissa, you may move on. Layla will not.”

Windu’s voice cut through her Larissa and she felt her heart sink as she tried to meet Layla’s eyes and failed. Why had she failed? More importantly, how could she have let her fail? Why couldn’t she be there for Layla like she had been for her. Badu grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room, both barely remembering to bow to the Master as they left. Once they were down the hallway, they both slid down the walls, unable to believe it. Neither had expected her to fail. Layla was extremely strong, not to mention she was their friend. “We need to keep moving.” Badu suddenly broke the silence, looking Larissa straight in the eyes.

She nodded and stood up. Layla would want them to keep going and pass the Trials together. They entered the next room together, freezing in their tracks as they see blocks floating in the air. They were strategically set up in such a way that was both organized and difficult to navigate. Obi-Wan.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Layla, you can still choose to continue.” His voice filled her with even more sadness.

This was the best thing to happen to her, she couldn’t just throw this away but she knew she had to. “No I can’t, you saw what I saw, Master.” The Twi’lek met his eyes, “I can’t let that happen.”

Windu stood up and began to pace the room, “There is no guarantee that could ever happen.”

“I can’t take any chances.”

He looked at her sympathetically but he made no further protest. He knew she was right. “Badu and Larissa have passed but Layla has failed.” Windu sighed into his commlink.

It was quiet for a moment before the girl heard her Master’s voice through the commlink. “Do I need to come to the room, Mace?” Secura said quietly.

“Yes, we have something important to discuss.”

 

“What do you mean you are leaving the Jedi Order, Layla?” The blue Twi’lek held a look of disbelief on her face, obviously surprised by this sudden statement. “If it’s because you failed the Trial, do not worry, child, many padawan’s have failed before, you are not the first.”

Her Master’s soft voice always calmed her, even now that she would no longer be her padawan. “Actually Secura, this was completely her choice. She passed the Trial, but something followed that....changed her mind.” Windu interjected.

Realization hit the master and she closed her eyes, “Yes, I see it in your mind. Terrible darkness. This is a very drastic, yet brave thing to do, my padawan. I will not seek to change your mind as this is already your path, but I do have a plan for what you can do.”

Layla frowned and looked up at her former Master, who had a sad smile on her face. “You do?” Windu asked, an eyebrow raised.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“Our current plan is not working, Badu!” Larissa shouted to him as she tried to cling to floating block in order to not fall to the far away ground.

Their plan had been to find Obi-Wan and to try and distract him so one of them could grab the key. Well, Badu was trying to distract him, but he kept having to get away from the Master in order to not get caught. Larissa was trying to grab the key which was above the block she was holding on to. The thing was, Obi-Wan kept rotating the block this way and that so she could never get a strong enough grip to jump at the key. “Badu switch!” She yelled, barely giving him enough time before she pulled him over to the block using the Force.

She jumped off the block and landed right next to the master, who was surprised to see her. “Larissa you know I am not good at balancing!” Badu called.

Yes, she knew that, but she thought he would have a better chance at grabbing the key if she could distract Obi-Wan. “Just hold on!”

Larissa heard him grumbling in the background but ignored it as she drew out her lightsaber. “Hello, Master.” She said.

As expected, he didn’t acknowledge her, keeping focus on using the Force. Oh well, She took a step closer and put away her lightsaber, guess we have to do this the hard way. Larissa took a deep breath and used the Force to push the Master away. She may have used a little too much power and he went flying into some of the blocks. “Ignoring someone is rude you know?” She shrugged as Obi-Wan sent her a scowl.

“I have the key!” Badu yelled to her.

Unfortunately, the master- who looked very unhappy about being thrown- heard as well and made off after the padawan; She barely tackled him before he reached Badu, much to Obi-Wan’s surprise. “Get the door open, I got him.” Larissa said, stepping in between the Master and her fellow padawan.

“Oh do you, my dear?” Obi-Wan asked with a smirk.

He grabbed for his lightsaber only to see it in her hands, “I think I do.”

Shaking his head, he attempted to use the Force and get his back, settling for hers instead when he saw it was unprotected. And that is how they began dueling with her using his blue lightsaber and him using her green one. “I think you made a grave mistake in underestimating me, Larissa.” The Master’s tone turned dark as he attacked her with her own lightsaber.

She wasn’t sure if she could beat him, she wasn’t even sure if she had really beaten Fisto, she knew Obi-Wan would go full out; a fact that worried her.  Larissa barely ducked and spun away from him as he began attacking her; she didn’t dark attack in case she left herself open anywhere. To her surprise, he was slightly clumsy and off on attacks, most likely do to the fact that her lightsaber was of a different build and balance. That was the another reason she didn’t want to attack, his lightsaber was heavier than hers. A lot heavier. However, it may be her only line of defense against him. She threw his lightsaber up just in time for them to clash; her with the disadvantage as usual. Then, her lightsaber began to lower with the force exerted from his. “Not used to my lightsaber are you?” She asked cheekily.

A smile lit up his face and a dangerous glint entered his eyes. He is making a plan. “I have the door opened.”

Just in time. Larissa returned a smile before kicking Obi-Wan’s leg, causing him to fall. She barely switched out their lightsabers before running to the door. “See you later, Obi-Wan!” She called, turning back for only a moment.

Obi-Wan waved back to her and she left the room. She may not have beaten him, but at least she escaped unscathed. They ran to the final room and paused just before the entrance. “Ready?” Badu whispered.

Larissa smiled before entering the room. In the center, as they had thought, was Master Yoda and their padawan beads: larissa’s simple white one and Badu’s brown one. “Begin, we will.” Yoda nodded, taking the beads into his hands.

They were prepared and jumped onto different small platforms when the floor disappeared and was replaced with fire. “Make it over to me without the Force you must.”

Badu gave her a short nod and they jumped to the next platform, before beginning to climb on the rock wall. They made it over the the next platform and paused a moment, Yoda had moved to a spot farther back. In their way was Master Kolar and Master Tiin with their lightsabers drawn. “Pass them, get your beads you do.”

Oh master, Larissa thought quietly. Without a plan, the two padawans tried to attack the Master's head on, only to be pushed back. They tried on several attempts, but failed each time. Then an idea hit Badu and he whispered, “I’m going to throw you over them.”

“What?!” She asked, whipping her head around to look at him with big eyes.

“Trust me.” He seemed absolutely certain this would work and, while she was skeptical, they were desperate.

“Okay, what do I do? And how are you supposed to get over?” Larissa didn’t want to leave him behind, especially not after what happened with Layla.

“I’m going to make a sort of basket formation with my hands and you are going to have to use it as sort of a step, except I will help throw you up.”

It seemed simple, so why didn’t he answer her last question? That is when he held out his lightsaber to her, “Take it and when you jump over, distract both of them so I can get past, okay?”

Larissa took the lightsaber and nodded, “This is a brilliant plan, Badu.”

He gave her a smile and stood up. “That is why it will work, just make sure you look like you are going to attack them before you jump.”

She didn’t need to ask why, it was obvious that it would surprise them more. “Yes, sir.” She whispered with a laugh.

He grinned and laughed with her before they shook hands and she ignited both lightsabers. “Let’s do it.”

He ran ahead and she followed swiftly before seeing him nod, upon which she held up both lightsabers, causing the Masters to fall into defensive stances again. Only this time, she switched directions midstep and, shutting off both of the lightsabers, she jumped onto the platform Badu had made and she flipped over the Masters. They barely turned in time to meet both of the lightsabers. Both Masters were extremely strong, but being caught off guard only gave them time for a weak stance. Out of the corner of her eye, Larissa saw Master Tiin struggling slightly, when an evil thought came to mind: she feigned like she was about to kick at his legs, instead choosing to kick Master Kolar’s. Her plan worked and Kolar fell while Tiin broke the connection; ensuring enough time for Badu to jump over the fallen master and make back his own lightsaber. They turned off the connection and helped Kolar back up before walking over to Master Yoda, who was now surrounded by the rest of the Masters except for Secura. “Passed this final Trial have you.” Her master smiled to them as he handed their beads back over, upon which they both attached them back into their hair. “Your Knighting Ceremony will be within a week’s time,Badu. Yours the day following Larissa.” Master Windu followed.

“Yes, Master.” Both padawans said in unison before bowing to the masters.

“Travel to Lueksia, during the mean time you will, accompanied by master secura.”  He nodded to himself.

The Masters made to leave, but not before Fisto said, “And Larissa, I will want a rematch.”

Even Windu couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“Why Lueksia?” Larissa asked Badu as they arrived back at the temple.

“Because your are going to be travelling with me and Padme.” A familiar optimistic voice called their attention to a smiling purple girl in front of them.

“Layla!” Badu exclaimed upon seeing the Twi’lek.

She caught their questioning gazes and shifted uncomfortably, “I am leaving the Jedi Order.”

Silence followed her words, as the two padawan’s were too stunned to say anything. “But it’s okay, because Padme, with my planet’s consent, is going to be teaching me how to be a Senator and represent my people in the Senate!”

Her face was too happy for a padawan who had left the Order, but it didn’t stop Larissa from being happy for her, “As long as you are safe, of course. Being a senator is dangerous.” She stated, earning a nod from Padme.

“It is very dangerous.” The Naboo senator added.

Larissa respected Padme greatly and her respect only increased with the worry she inputted into her words. “I have spent most of my life training to be a warrior, I think I’ll be okay.” Layla let out a laugh and patted Padme slightly.

Padme shook her head, but she still laughed along before turning back to the padawan’s, “So you are going to be joining us?”

It was Badu who answered, “Along with Master Secura yes we will, although I am not sure why.”

Larissa smiled at his confusion but she shrugged along with him.

The Senator and soon-to-be-senator left and the two padawan’s nodded to each other before leaving to their own rooms. Larissa walked into her room and smiled at the basic layout. This was her life and she wouldn’t want it any other, but she couldn’t help the feeling that it has only just begun. She had barely sat down for meditation when there was a knock at the door. Of course, she knew who it was. Guess rematches couldn’t wait till later.

Actually it’s Obi-Wan, I’ve come to see if you want to finish a fight, you kind of ran out on me.

Larissa groaned inwardly at the lame joke but got up and opened the door to see the Master leaning against the opposite wall. “I had to.”

A half smile appeared and he raised his eyebrow, “Did you think you would lose?”

“No, I just couldn’t hurt your feelings by winning, which I would have.” She added cheekily.

“Well, care to see if that’s true?”

“Wouldn’t miss a chance like that.”

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The Sith lord curled his hand into a fist before released it and turned around to face the window. Somehow, he had failed to ruin that padawan and make her fail as Master Yoda's padawan just as he had. She was stronger than he had thought, maybe they could use her. He would just have to find a way to bring her to the Dark side. 

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End file.
